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🌙 Chapter: One Month Later — His POV
"Good work today, Keifer."
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I didn't look up immediately.
Just signed the last document in front of me, the pen moving smoothly across the paper before I placed it down.
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Honey hesitated for a second, then left quietly.
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Silence returned.
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The office was exactly how I liked it.
Minimal.
Clean.
Controlled.
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Everything in place.
Everything predictable.
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Just the way things should be.
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And yet—
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something felt… off.
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I leaned back slightly in my chair, eyes drifting toward the glass wall overlooking the city.
London looked different at night.
Colder.
Sharper.
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Or maybe that was just me.
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It's been a month.
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A month since the announcement.
A month since the engagement.
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A month since everything was decided—
without me.
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I exhaled slowly.
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"She's… not what I expected."
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The words slipped out before I could stop them.
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I let out a quiet, humorless chuckle.
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"Hey, Mom…" I muttered under my breath, leaning my head slightly back. "You really had to make this complicated, didn't you?"
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Serina Watson.
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Even after everything—
she still controlled the game.
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Even now.
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My gaze dropped to the table.
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That girl.
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The chosen heir.
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I don't know her name.
Don't know her face.
Don't know anything about her.
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And yet—
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we've met.
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Twice.
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Both times—
masked.
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Hidden.
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Controlled.
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"She's… decent," I admitted quietly.
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Calm.
Collected.
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Not loud.
Not reckless.
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Not like—
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I stopped.
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My jaw tightened slightly.
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Jay.
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Jay Jay.
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The name alone—
was enough.
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"She's kind," I continued under my breath. "Composed. Humble."
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Everything people would expect.
Everything people would approve of.
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Everything that makes sense.
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And yet—
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it doesn't feel right.
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Because she's not her.
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My fingers curled slightly.
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Jay wasn't calm.
Wasn't soft.
Wasn't… predictable.
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She was chaos.
Fire.
Trouble.
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And somehow—
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everything I couldn't control.
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A faint exhale left me.
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"I miss her."
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The words came out quieter this time.
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Almost like I wasn't supposed to say them out loud.
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Almost like admitting it—
made it real.
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I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table, hands loosely clasped.
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"I told myself she didn't matter."
A soft, bitter smile.
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"That was a lie."
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Of course it was.
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She mattered more than she should have.
More than I allowed.
More than I planned.
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And I lost her.
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Because I chose power.
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Because I thought—
I'd have time.
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I let out a slow breath.
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"And now…"
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I glanced at the engagement file lying on the table.
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"I'm engaged to someone I don't even know."
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Silence.
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Cold.
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Unforgiving.
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"And the only person I want—"
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I stopped.
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Didn't finish the sentence.
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Didn't need to.
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Because I already knew.
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Jay.
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Always Jay.
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I leaned back again, running a hand through my hair.
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"This is stupid."
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Everything about this—
was stupid.
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The engagement.
The condition.
The silence.
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The fact that I'm playing along.
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But I don't have a choice.
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I never did.
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My gaze shifted toward the city again.
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Lights flickering.
People moving.
Life continuing.
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And somewhere—
far from here—
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she was living hers.
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Without me.
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The thought didn't sit well.
Didn't settle.
Didn't fade.
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"I can't leave her."
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The words were quiet.
Firm.
Final.
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No hesitation.
No doubt.
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Because no matter what this engagement is—
no matter what this situation becomes—
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that doesn't change.
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She doesn't change.
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I stood up.
Slowly.
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Decision made.
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"Tomorrow," I said under my breath.
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A pause.
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"I'm going back to Manila."
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My jaw set slightly.
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"To find her."
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Not as Mark Keifer Watson.
Not as the heir.
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Just—
as the man who messed everything up.
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And wants to fix it.
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No matter what it takes.
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Because power?
Control?
Empire?
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None of it means anything—
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if she's not there.
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And this time—
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I'm not letting her walk away.
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End of Chapter.